Stubborn Aesthetics
by Monisse
Summary: What have you done? You drove away the only person that cares about you, for what? Not telling him what’s happening to you? - Brennan is about to lose much more than a few degrees in eyesight when she has to wear glasses. How will her partner react?
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Stubborn Aesthetics  
**Rating:** T  
**Pairing:** Brennan/Booth  
**Summary:** How would Booth react if Brennan was having a slight eye problem and had to wear... you'll see later!  
**Disclaimer:** I clearly have too much imagination and not as much time in my hands. I should be studying Instrumental Analysis... Anyway, this story is dedicated to my man, the only one to whom I take off my glasses and shake out my hair.  
Angst and Fluff are assured in this story. Also, reviews are welcomer.

**Edit:** I desabled the Story Alert, because I get more of them in my inbox mail than reviews themselves. How long does it take to click in the alert button? No longer than leaving a kind word of feedback in a review. It is seriously anti climax to see how many people hit the story and 2% of them are kind enough to review.

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She walked in a straight line out of the facility, a small smile plastered in her lips and a sense of triumph in her pace. The FBI had kindly summoned the partners to assist in a shooting career, to qualify their shooting habits with different weapons, and as she left the range with a smile in her face the same didn't apply to the man beside her.  
By her side her partner walked in an uncharacteristic silence and as they made their way into the rushing street ahead a feeling of tangible unease settled in her stomach and made her face turn in his direction.

His body language told her that he was impatient to get away from the building, and even thought she always thought that shooting, in a controlled environment, always had a good effect on the mood of her partner, what she had experienced inside made her extremely confused.  
Her eyes scanned his features. They were hard, his jaw was closed tight, hands clenched by his sides and eyes, dark with emotion, narrowed in the dim light of the setting sun.

Many possibilities crossed her mind, one by one presented to her as potential causes to his remote behavior and furrowed brow. Perhaps, in all the havoc between a gun, its holder and the target he got caught in his past and the many targets that were so different from the ones made of paper across the wall. Or maybe it was something else. Something she had yet to know, yet to be allowed into the darkest corners of his mind, where she knew he kept, safe from daylight, what hurts the most.  
Nevertheless the cause, she wasn't the woman to speculate and would never be, straight to the point she decided to pierce the unnerving silent barrier between them.

"Booth, why are you so quiet? You've barely spoken to me since we left the range." She asked tentatively in his direction.

"Oh it's nothing, really..." He reassured her in a rapid shot of words that neither she could identify nor ignore the cause for them.

"Were you dazzled by my shooting skills, Agent Booth?" She let the words come by in a light tease with a smirk of her lips in the end. "I've come a long way since you've first saw me shoot a gun, haven't I?"

"Wait, what?"At her words he suddenly stopped walking and stood still in the spot until she came to a stop beside him. He turned his body to face her, eyes wide in amazement at her blank expression.

"Are you serious Bones? You've missed all the marks!" His hands thrown in the air in exasperation.

"No I didn't, you're just jealous that I'm such a good shot." Brow furrowed in his direction she was now fully facing him, hands in her hips. An expression of incredibility across her face.

"What's the matter with you, Bones?" He hissed. "If you're trying to be funny, you're falling way short of comedy." Surely, nothing amusing had come out of her mouth other than the teasing.

She watched him pause in his words and inhale deeply. His shoulders loosened a little of their straight pose and along came the relaxation of his face; no longer held traces of severity.

"I'm really worried here, what if we were on the field and I needed you to cover my back?" His large hands wrapper around her shoulders and shook her softly.

"Don't give me that, Booth. You know I always get your back, whatever that means. I did nothing wrong in the range, I'm telling you."  
For as much as she begged for his comprehensive side, appealing for her innocence at his unfounded charges of guilt, she also knew he wasn't ready to drop the issue that easily. The recall for a possible dangerous situation in the field was a sign of that.

"I'm telling you that you've missed all the marks. Want to go back there and check it?" Although his words seemed stressed his tone was soft and appealing, but they did nothing to prevent a fury that came from no were to burst in full force.

"No I won't go back there, I'm sure of what I did." She pushed her body backwards with purpose to disentangle her shoulders from his firm grasp and as soon as she found herself free she walked past him in the direction of the SUV.

"Shall we go?" She shouted over her shoulder.

"I give up, it's no use trying to worry about you when you are that stubborn." Waving his head in defeat he placed his hands in his pant pockets and slowly made his way to his vehicle where she was already trying to open the door.

Laughing mockingly at her attempts and infuriated face he took the keys from the pocket and pushed the open button. At the sound of the keys she turned once more to the car and pushed the passenger door open slightly.

With a forceful push the door came in contact with her forehead. Hard. She closed her eyes as the pain shot through her skull and rang in her ears. Her lungs filled with a fresh dump of air as she made another failed attempt to enter the car, fighting hard the moisture forming in her eyes triggered by the dull pain.

"Ow... How come the door doesn't open? Booth is your car damaged?" She asked, rubbing the sore spot on her forehead with her left hand.

"Are you all right Bones?" He ran forward, heart pounding in his chest motivated by her sort of cries of pain, worried for her safety. When he arrived to her side finally saw what hindered his partner from settling inside the car. "The door is fine; you just didn't open it enough to enter." One of his hands wrapped around her arm as the other opened the door wider so she could climb in.

"What are you saying? Of course I opened it all the way back." She protested while settling herself in the seat.

"Are you sure you're ok, Bones?" Still concerned. "It seems like today you can't see nothing at all." He closed the door and walked around the car.

All the while her eyes stood fixed on his as a bubbling rage erupted inside of her once more at his insulting words. Rationally, she could blame his aggressiveness and antics towards her as a side-effect of his previous mood because, for sure, she didn't do anything wrong that day, besides the unfortunate event with the car door.

As soon as he entered the car and turned the keys on the ignition her hand rushed in that direction to stop his movements. Their eyes met across the car, fiery blue burned in hurt pride against deep brown ones.

"My eye sight is as perfect as ever." The grip in his hand tightened and her nails dug in his flesh sending shiver up his spine.

"I'm a forensic anthropologist, am I not? I need perfect 20/20 vision." Her hand loosened his as she settled herself against the seat once more and looked straight ahead. "Stop this nonsense."

"I think you should see a doctor, to check if there's something wrong with your eyes." He said in a feeble effort to continue the conversation as he turned on the engine and drove the SUV among the streets full of traffic at the end of the day.

"I told you to stop it already Booth. I'm fine, you know I'm fine, and if you don't believe me, I can prove it to you, after all, I'm better than you in the field, and that says a lot." The words flew in this direction without her even acknowledging the hurt that crossed his eyes for a fraction of a second and simply crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"You know what, Bones? Forget it. It is no use worrying about you when you act like such a little girl, just sit there and I'll drive you back, I'm tired and I already have a kid to take care of, I don't need another one."

"Booth, you're being rude..." She hissed.

"Enough Bones." He said the words in rapid rage and felt his hands involuntary grip tight on the steering wheel.

"Fine." In her mind, their discussion was still unsettled, the words that they threw at each other still forming incoherent ideas and clouding the truth behind their partnership, Never before had a fight between them reached this boiling point, almost seeming like something precious was about to rupture. She closed her eyes and sighed at their uncomfortable silence.

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There's more to come! Review please :)


	2. Chapter 2

It was a long ride back to the Jeffersonian, and all the while neither spoke a word, even though either felt compelled to fill the silent void that settled in between. There was an icy wall made of rage, regret and sorrow separating their hearts.  
The car came to a stop at the parking lot of the institute and, in a swift move, both unbuckled their seat belts and exited the car, closing their doors with a little too much force.

Walking ahead of him, she crossed the large gardens without even noticing how fresh it seemed now in the climax of spring, how glorious were the harmony of colors around them. She heard his steps behind and, as always, that made a feeling of comfort rush through her for the certainty that he would always be close by. She felt his hand on her lower back as they made their way through the crowded corridors inside the institute; she smiled then, without him noticing it, and acknowledged his gesture as a silent truce.

They crossed the doors to the anthropology unit together and their paces were suddenly silenced by the turmoil of voices. She finally felt at ease inside. There they were, her colleagues walking around, busy with their work, too busy to notice their entrance filled with grimace expressions. The hastening sounds of analytic instruments and stainless steel, the mixed smells of chemicals and death despite the controlled air supply. She was in her environment again.

"Here you are, Dr. Brennan. I'll see you tomorrow." He stopped at her office's entrance and waited for her to react, but nothing came, only a tired expression among an annoyed wrinkle in her forehead.  
"Just an advice, from a fellow coworker, try to find some help for your eye-sight, the FBI needs its assets to be at their fitest shape, it would be a shame to see you wither away due to your stubbornness." His strong words only conveyed half the intensity they ought to have, the other half filled with concern and his simple wit.

"Oh shut up, Booth. I don't need the FBI to tell me what to do, I've been fine my whole life, your input in this situation is useless." She frowned again and shifted her body closer to his and spoke directly to his eye level, his brown eyes that seemed, somehow, blurred before, now sparkled with a vivid color under their dark lashes.

"Suit yourself, do as you see fit." He turned his back to her and made an effort to leave when her words stopped his rate.

"I shall, I'm a grown woman after all." The words came out wrapped in her confident icy glare. She hated seeing him leave, turn his back to her having the last word of the conversation when there was still so much she wanted to tell him, but there was always the heavy past lurking in her ability to give. To simply give away her thoughts, her emotions, even herself.

She had fought, since very young, to be recognized as an independent woman and she took pride in all of her lone achievements. No man would take over her life like that, she vowed, a long time ago, that she didn't need anyone to be herself. In a quid pro quo status she forgot everything they were, partners, friends, more and more every day, and snapped at him.

"I don't need you. I've never needed you and I never will, and for all I care, you can do as you see fit Booth, you're irrelevant to the decisions of my life." The words resonated around them and it was too late to take them back when his back straightened and he looked one last time over his shoulder. His hurt face, a massive contrast against the shame rising in hers.

"What would you do without me?" He whispered and waited for her response, but nothing came.

He shook his head in disbelief and simply walked away through the door of the lab. She watched him leave while an uncomfortable feeling settled in her chest.

A sudden silence fell as she looked around the lab to see that her colleagues had stopped their activities and had been attentive spectators to the parade of hateful words they shared.

In that moment she couldn't care less of what the others thought, the only person which opinion mattered, even faintly recognizing it in a locked place of her mind, had walked away from her.

Another wave of fury washed over her in a torrent that brought regret with it. Turning upon her heels, she walked inside her office, accidentally bumping her shoulder against the door frame. A rush of pain ran in her body and her hand hasted to caress the sore spot. She sat at the chair, still rubbing her shoulder, and blinked back tears. Crying over an insignificant ache would not solve the murders that grew in a tall pile of files over her desk.

Turning towards them, she turned on the laptop and brought in a new rush of air, calming her senses down. While waiting, the dead silence enveloped her. It seemed a constant today. Silence. It brought back the haunting words of her partner along with her own. A sting of guilt pierced her insides as the words resonated in her brain, harsh ones she hadn't plan to proffer and only left her mouth in the heat of the discussion, they neither were her inner thoughts nor her feelings towards him. Those words had just been a creation of many years fighting for her own space in life, crystallized in her brain as a weapon of defense and now they had pierced her partner's emotions without mercy.

He didn't deserve her poisonous words, they were never meant for him to hear. Not him, the only constant in her life.

_What have you__ done, Tempe? _A young voice asked in her mind. _You drove away the only person that cares about you the most, and for what? Not to tell him what's happening to you. Sixteen years later and you're still stubborn. _

Oh, if she only could return back, as illogical as it seemed, to the exact second when her blood started to boil and her mouth took a life of its own disconnected from the wires of rationality that coordinated her actions, she would not be experiencing, right now, the painful syllabic decantation of his last question.

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There will be more soon! Please, if you are taking the time to read, leave a review! I would love it :)


	3. Chapter 3

Remorse consumed her thoughts as her eyes stared blankly at the beaming cursor in the laptop. All of a sudden, her eyes caught with the bright light of the screen. A single tear formed in the eye and got caught in her eyelash. She blinked several times and as it broke free it rolled down her cheek and pooled at the base of her chin and fell. It was a desperate fall only to die shortly against her white blouse.

Her gaze turned down and her lower lip trembled. More tears followed that one until there was a wet path in her cheeks. It took a while to recognize the source of the ache. One hand closed the laptop abruptly as the other one came up to brush away the moisture that now had nothing do to with the previous burning ache in her eyes.

Resting back in the chair she let out a sigh and closed her eyes until a knock could be heard at the door. She opened them just to see her best friend looking through the slightly open door, a concerned shadow all over her face.

"Bren?" She asked softly. "Can I come in?" It didn't matter the answer, for she was already walking inside to take a seat by the desk, opposite to her friend.

The other one just managed a simple smile.

"Were you crying?" Large brown eyes opened wide and stared intently at her, an expression she had seen many times over the years that determinated their friendship.

"No, of course not. What gave you that idea?" The doctor asked in a severe but unconvincing voice.

"Starting with your red eyes and your wet lashes and… Oh yes, the epic fight you had with Booth, just a while ago." The artist leaned her body forward across the table to make her point cross with a sharp look in her eyes.

"We didn't fight." Such a frail argument.

"Well, you weren't kissing either." The well known sarcasm filled the artist's words.

"Ange…" She started already annoyed at her friend's inquiry. The witch hunting had been over many years ago and yet, she had a recreation of an inquisitor in front of her every time her and Booth's relationship was concerned.

"Brennan, you know me, either you tell me what is going on with you, or else we'll only get out of this room when we are very, very old." The dark haired woman crossed her arms as well as her legs and leaned backwards in the chair, waiting.

The doctor exhaled deeply, closed her eyes for a moment, enough to gather courage and words to describe to her friend the enormous mistake she had done, and all because of fear.

"I have never been in this kind of situation before. I'm a grown, independent woman that has made a life without the help of others." She started. "But today with Booth, I didn't mean what I said to him, I understand he was just looking out for me; it's just that I never needed it in my life before."

The sympathy was evident in the artist's face as she leaned forward again and took her friend's hands in between hers; they rested upon the desk filled with papers.

"Don't be like that, it's okay to need someone once in a while, look at me, if it wasn't for you I wouldn't be here, right?"

"I suppose…"

"But that can't be all, what exactly did you say to him?"

"I told him such awful things, Ang." She sighed and paused for a long moment, reliving that horrible moment. "That I never needed him and that I would never do and worst of all… I told him he was irrelevant to my life."

"Now, both you and I know that's not true. Booth has made an impact in your life that no other person could have ever done. You've gone from grumpy, socially-awkward, ice-cold Brennan, to lovely, understanding and caring."

"I know Ange, but does he know? Does he hate me now?" She sighed in exasperation. So many questions in her mind. "I don't know what do to."

"Why don't you start by apologizing to him? I know the perfect way!" The artist's mouth erupted in a devious grin.

"And what would that be?" An eyebrow lift.

"Well, you know, he's a man, you're a woman, and so many things can be forgiven when two people are laid in a horizontal position, if you know what I mean."

"Actually, I don't."

"Do I need to be more graphic about this, Brennan? I'm talking about sex here, not some unexplained phenomenon of science."

"Angela! I'm perfectly aware of our status as male and female specimens, and there is no way I'm going to have sex with Booth…" A crimson shade invaded her cheeks. "… as an apology. That would be low, even for me."

"Oh, come on! It's not like the man doesn't fantasize about you. He has to, right?"

"I don't have direct knowledge of that fact." Or did she? After all, weren't the glasses and the loosened hair part of his fantasy? He told so himself, sort of, when he walked towards her, hands in his pockets, chest against her and proffered the words that hadn't mean anything to her back then. Now, she finally understood.

A tremor ran up her spine at the implications. Her hand came up to rub on her left eye which had started to ache again, a stubborn pain that hadn't left her for days.

"Seriously now, how should I apologize to him?"

"Since you declined my humble advice, I think you should be the one deciding how to make an apology, after all, you know him better than I do." With that she patted her friend's hand and made a movement to get up from the chair.  
"A simple 'sorry' would do but I'm afraid that this case needs a little bit more than that." She was gone through the door as fast as she came in, leaving her friend inside the office with more questions than answers.

A sigh escaped her slightly parted lips.

Although she had found this new self-determination within her, something struck in her heart like a thunderbolt, making her quiver with fear and anxiousness. She couldn't deny it any longer, in her own superior mind she knew what was the cause of her erratic behavior, the reason behind all the seemingly clumsy things she was doing these days.

She could still be far away from opening that little bit to him, but at least she would give him his deserved apology.

Her mind roamed over what he had said. '_What would you do without me?_'

That single question played over and over again and triggered an immensity of colorful images of the past four years. A paraphernalia of guy hugs, Thai food late in the night and many moments more, danced in her mind as tokens for their friendship.

'_If I didn't have him…' _

She had to recognize something, in one way of another; she needed him, but had no clue how to express it. She didn't know how to apologize, never learned the soft words to reach into someone's heart and ask for forgiveness.

Her eyes caught with the forgotten pen away from her reach and an idea surged.

"But I am good at something else." She smiled with confidence.

Grabbing the pen and a small piece of square paper, her hand started to work her thoughts furiously against the white surface. There was a pause in the end and she stood still. She looked again to the small paper in her hand and couldn't help but feel a small sense of accomplishment. The tip of the pen rolled over the smooth paper and drew her name neatly at the bottom.

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Feedback would be lovely!


	4. Chapter 4

Monday morning came just like it always did, with an endless line of traffic in his way to another day full of work. Other than the constant headache and heavy heart by the events of the previous day, the weekend had run smoothly by him and the loneliness of his empty apartment.

He finally reached the building and, already anticipating a colossal pile of files and paperwork by his desk, he sighed heavily while entering the elevator. The cramped space did nothing to burn away the crushing feeling inside his chest. At night her infuriated face paraded in his vision and haunted his monochromatic dreams. During the day her voice pierced his ears and accompanied him in his daily journey.

He could still hear and feel, as vivid as in that day, every syllable she proffered and how they settled in his heart, the weight of the words almost unbearable.

After four years of working together he forgotten to build his own defensive walls and, naively, let himself open to her raving rages and powerful accusations once in a while.  
Time after time, they would banter, but he had come to enjoy it, because for him, they were nothing more than a friendly exchange of heated feelings and release of tension. Unfortunately, one of the sides had to come hurt from their little probes for dominance. Usually, it was him. He was used to take it all in and swallow his pride and take some time, because he had come to gradually know her, and his mind already formed excuses to her behavior. In the end he would always let their arguments slip by, forgiven but not forgotten.

There was always a single drop of water that would make the buckle overflow. He recognized his limit and pushed it a little further every time. It could not be pushed any longer this time.  
Her accusations, heavy, made the emotions in his heart break through the cracks it had because of the numerous blows it had taken along the years. Diverse feelings flooded freely in his blood like a wild emotional torrent.

The ring of the elevator turned it all into a reality. He was already in this floor and rushed with the motion people to the outside. At ten in the morning he was already turning the knob of his office door and being greeted by the unexcited mass of paper waiting for him.

With a sigh he let his feet walk to the other side of the desk and his massive weight slumped in the well worn chair without elegancy.

He ran one hand along his face in a faint hope to drive away all the thoughts of her and gain focus on the task he had ahead for the day.  
His stomach disagreed. When he had last eaten? Yesterday? He couldn't remember, for his breakfast today consisted only in a cup of black coffee bearable worth of that name.

Sighing again his eyes finally opened to face the papers in his front when a small piece of square white caught his attention. His hand took hold of it and brought it a little closer to his vision while his lips silently formed the words written there.

_I would be dead. Several times.  
__I wouldn't eat regularly or even go home on time.  
__I wouldn't have a family. No father nor brother.  
__No one to call me Bones._

_Temperance_

A large smile brightened his face when the recognition of the apology sank in. It was the response to the question he let hanging in the air by her office.

"_No one to call me Bones." _He barely said, his voice coming out in a whisper.

How could he be annoyed with this woman, when she probably had ran all the possible ways to apologize to him and came face to face with the one she knew best? He knew her too well.

Even though the hurt in his heart was still evident, the words still pierced his ears.

She had recognized her mistake and probably how much it hurt him. Stubborn as she was, he would never expect this.

"You've come a long way, Bones." He said, never averting his eyes from the small paper in his hand. He took pride in it and in her attempt to reach for him again.

It was time to evaluate their situation. Would they be good now after what seemed to be their first real fight? He had no doubt they would, they had come a long way and learned from each other's mistakes, this time he would allow her time. He recognized he had forced her into unknown ground, pushing her to her limits when she so obviously was scared by them, but at the time he had been caught in the fear and the worry for her well being that he didn't realize he was hurting her too.

He was sure that, like the previous times, she would reach for him, whenever she was ready, and confide in him her worries. He just hoped that that time would come soon, or he feared that she would slowly drift away from him and hide.

'_She just needs time_.' He reassured himself.

Taking another breath he reached for his cell phone and dialed a familiar number. After four rings the voice in the other side of line answered in the distinct female voice of his partner.

"Brennan."

"Hi there, Bones. How have you been?" He asked tentatively.

"Hello Booth. I'm fine, thank you." He heard the tingle of politeness in her voice only to be bashed in the ground by her blunt self once again. "Did you get my note?"

He suppressed a chuckle but couldn't restrain his mind from the possessive thought that it formed. '_That's my Bones_.'

"What note?" His voice came devoid of emotion on purpose. "I didn't get anything."

"Are you sure? I was sure that your secretary would send it to you as I insisted." She sounded disappointed now and her voice had lowered an octave. He heard a ruffle of sounds from the other side, and immediately pictured her fidgeting with the line of her office's phone.

"I'm just teasing you, Bones, of course I got your note." A chuckle erupted in his chest as he reclined in the chair and all the tension of the previous days washed away with her outraged response.

"Booth!"And despite her attempt to remain annoyed she laughed softly. "You know I'm not good at these things, it took a certain amount of will to write that." Her sigh came to his ear, soft as a whisper, and a shiver ran up his spine and settled in the base of the skull.

"I know, and thank you. I know what you meant, but you know what?" It was time to face his own mistake. "I wasn't being fair when I asked you that. I know you're an independent woman that can take care of herself –"

"That wasn't what I was trying to say…" She cut him mid sentence.

"I know, but you've got to do better than that."

"But Booth... That was the best I could do, please understand that." Once again the fidgeting in the other side.

"No, no, no. You can do so much better, Bones. You can offer me pie." A grin erupted in his features as he waited for an answer.

"Very well, Special Agent Seeley Booth," She sighed in mocking exasperation. "Will you go to the Diner with me for a slice of pie and coffee?"

"I'd love to. I'll be there in ten minutes." When about to hang the phone he heard a hurried intake of breath and sensed the tension in her probably seating position.

"Are… Are we good, Booth?" The words sounded unstable in the phone and he wondered if it was some sort of line interference of just the fear bottled in her question.

"We will be, Bones." He softly responded.

With that he closed his phone and returned it to his pocked, picked up the slice of paper and folded it neatly inside his wallet, a remembrance token of their arrival at a safe port after a sailing in troubled and dark waters. They would be just fine, but in the back of his mind the concern for her never left. He would keep a close eye on her as he always did.

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Thank you for the feedback so far. Don't forget to review after reading this chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

Is this story getting boring? I feel like it is by the lack of a nice amount of feedback, but I thank to everyone who reviewed so far!

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Many days have passed since they had a case together, and even thought they occasionally met for breakfast or a quick coffee, she felt different without having him around so often. In the back of her mind, she classified the feeling as longing, but as the thought came in, it was abruptly taken away by rationality. Her other half, the one secretly ruled by the overdriven heart, however, forced that contemplation again into acceptance and eventually she submitted to it.

Her head had been full of lingering thoughts, which swam around the electric synapses of her brain never leaving space for concentration. She had found herself, not for the first time that day, leaned against the back of her comfortable chair at her office, chewing on the top of her pen and thinking about her partner.

The simple thought of him triggered uncharacteristic feelings inside her, feelings that she couldn't yet categorize for the fear that they would overwhelm and engulf her in a whirlwind of unknown proportions.

She analyzed his actions towards her with the mental filters that scattered around her brain the images of him, experienced over the years. The way he protected her, the way he forced himself into her life, even thought she hadn't invite him, his persistent worry for her safety, great enough to eclipse his own troubles to make her bright in the spotlight of his attention. Four years had gone by since they first met and he still acted the same nowadays, always the courageous man, trying to protect her, even against herself and her unbreakable obstinacy.

'_He would do anything for you, Tempe._' Her mind whispered quietly and the impact of that thought made her heart rate accelerate and pound heard against her ribcage.

She sighed heavily, resting a hand over her beating heart and tried again, to busy her mind with something she truly loved to do, to lock away the devious thoughts of him and any other raising restless feeling.

She picked a small box, filled with hundreds of small shards of bone inside. Walking to the platform, she noticed that the lab had grown quiet over the hours she had spent in her office, trying hard to concentrate in the pile of reports to evaluate, but failing miserably. The environment was dimly lit for the night and casted shadows over the shiny stainless steel; nonetheless, she found comfort in the solitude of the place. The silence, always a desirable company at the end of the day.

In a vacant table she carefully emptied the contents of the box all around her and dressed her slender hands in latex gloves.

Placing together pieces of a skull had been something that she had grew accustomed with, her mind already knew how to bring together that human puzzle and unconsciously, her hands started to move around selecting similar pieces to the sides.

Her body leaned against the table as her eyes tried to focus in the detailed work of selection. In a while small piles of white broken shards lay in neat piles and her hands started placing them together with glue.

Hours passed, and her task did nothing to prevent the flowing thoughts to come. She worked the skull in autopilot while her mind sailed a reverie about him again.

She replayed their discussion of that previous day again in her mind. His hero complex sometimes unnerved her, and made her react like she did, but after the calm came, and she heard his voice reassuring her they would be fine, her mind relaxed and freed the encased idea that she had, actually, grew accustomed to his intrusions on her life and almost welcomed them, silently.

The task enveloped her in such a peace that she didn't realize that the air around had changed and the lab hosted another person inside. She had come a long way, she thought. He took her from the closure of her lab and made her see a world full of opportunities outside science. Her eyes now saw blurs of that beautiful world that he introduced to her. Her heart started beating wild in her chest and the growing fear made it unbearable to breathe.

A throbbing headache pounded in her temples and broke all the forming thoughts as her vision blurred, she felt herself closing her eyes and breathing slowly, attempting to restrain the wave of dizziness that washed over her. A hand freed the other from the white glove and it came up to brush over her eyes. They hurt now, she sensed them burning red and, in an uncharacteristic manner, she cursed under her breath.

She heard paces in her direction but couldn't register them, as another string of ache invaded her vision and grew in intensity. Her hands massaged ever harder but failed to attenuate the pain.

The movement stopped beside her and her body reacted to the person in front of her, inwardly recognizing it.  
Hands, strong and warm, brushed over her fingertips and slowly wrapped fully around hers and brought them away from her sore eyes.

Between moisture she faintly saw the figure of her partner close to her and a worried look all around his face. She tried to set one of her hands free, to bring it up to clean the moisture forming again in her eyes, but he held them tight with his own hands.

"Take it easy, Temperance." He said, and her name came toward her ears like a soft touch.

Now that she couldn't see him through the burning ache, his voice held a new sound and sense, and she found herself thinking, among everything happening now, how his voice held a slight hint of roughness, the right amount to make her heart set a new beating pace associated with him.

"Booth, it hurts so much." The hurt screamed louder.

She whispered so softly back at him that he had to lean towards her furthermore to hear her voice, and she felt his breathing caress her cheeks.

"I know, but rubbing will make it worse." She felt one of his hands leave hers and travel away to find something close to his body. After a moment she felt a soft tissue brushing against her eyes and his fingers pressing it gently. That caress felt like a relief against the hurt and the tenderness in the way he moved his handkerchief across her eyes, soothed the ache in her heart.

It was then, that a soft smell engulfed her nostrils, it came from the small handkerchief in his hand and for the first time she noticed that it belonged to him. How come she hadn't noticed his scent before? The only rational explication that her brain produced was characterized in one word: familiarity.  
She had grown used not only to his manner or his voice but also to his scent. Now, she knew exactly what triggered her mind to announce his presence in the room, even before his paces or his voice came, it was his collogue and the very own scent of him.

Involuntary, her lungs expanded to bring in a draft of the air around filled with him and it immediately soothed her worries and aches.

He took the handkerchief from her face and replaced it in his pants' pocket.

She was now able to look fully into his eyes. How she had missed those warm brown eyes, she couldn't let herself begin to acknowledge.

"Will you agree to go to the doctor now?" He insisted, his eyes grave on her, not expecting something seemingly negative as an answer.

Could she break to the door, run and ignore his question? She wondered while moving her body slightly, but already his hand tightened its hold on her and cut lose all embryonic plans to flee. Panic touched her limbs and she wanted to create a perimeter of safety around her, to send him and his persistent concern away.

'_But this is Booth. Let him in, trust him._'

Her eyes locked with his, and instantly the rightness of her silent statement became apparent. His eyes held a warm sensation in them, arousing feelings deep inside her that swept the negativity astray.

Voiceless, she nodded in agreement, already too tired to fight against him and the many arguments that would make her say no, turn away and run from him.

"Whatever it is, Bones, don't forget that I'm right here for you." Then she saw his lips break into one of his brightest smiles. The first smile she had seen from him in days, and she couldn't help but form a small turn of lips in answer.

That assurance, the way he, in such a simple way, conveyed his trust in her and appealed for her trust in him, comforted her, it was all that she needed to forget, for a moment, the shadow of fear hovering over her.

Silently, she picked the remaining pieces of skull, returned them to the box and took it to her desk again. Discarding the blue lab coat, she replaced it by her jacket and picked her purse, all the while he stood by the office door, leaning against the frame, hands in pockets and eyes as fierce as an eagle watching her movements with precise attention, a small smile never leaving his lips.

She walked to his side and immediately felt his hand fall to the small of her back as they made their way towards the exit doors. A pleasant shiver exploded from that warm spot where he laid his hand.

Yes, she had grown used to his touches all the same.

Pride was swallowed down her throat and panic had been compartmentalized, just for now.

* * *

Last chapter will come soon. Please, review.


	6. Chapter 6

This last chapter is very extensive, but I promise it will be worth in the end.  
With this chapter, the story comes to an end. It made me a little sad to see that it didn't have as much feedback as some of my previous stories, even though I really enjoyed writing it and wanted to show a fearful side of Brennan.

Thank you so much for all the reviews, they really meant a lot to me!

* * *

Against the cold glass window, her head rested and her hand came to lay beside it. She watched the rain deposit single drops of water in the glass, right in front of her vision. Below, the street seemed blurred and empty under the heavy rain and the cool wind that blew around the city.  
Sighing, she removed her weight from the window and settled herself, again, in the dining room chair. Her arms folded across the dark wood material of the table and her chin rested above them. In her line of vision, a small object laid motionless, at her front.

Another sigh and she closed her eyes, trying to avoid the unsettling presence across from her, but even in the inner side of her eyelids she could see it. Her blue eyes stared persistently at the material, and it, in the personified state of solid matter, stared back at her, voided of all life, but still as determined as her own gaze.

They were pretty, she had to admit, and she felt her aesthetics violated, she still had the presence of mind to pick something elegant and tasteful to wear.

She had lost a few degrees in eye sight, but it was not like someone who loses their wallet only to be restored a few days later, it was a deeper lost affecting her. The doctor had identified it as permanent _myopia_ and astigmatism, two words that still resonated in her mind after the appointment was over. The combination of many environmental factors, the many years of reading books and doing the detailed work with bones ( which she loved so much), had led her eyes to their refractive limit, and for a while they had been screaming for help under her intentional ignorance.

It was hard to admit that she was deprived of one of the most precious things in her life, because the minutiae work to examine every nick and crack in a bone required it. In her mind set, perfection was an imperative.

One of the reasons she always hung around special agent Seeley Booth, was because he could always trust in her hawk-like sight and rational mind, and so, if one of them were to be damaged, how could she hope that he would give her the same trust as before?  
The realization of that fact, the thought of losing that special part of her life, which made her feel unique and wanted like she hadn't felt before in a long time, hurt her even more.

How would he react to her incapacity?

'_I bet he will crack one of his humorless jokes._' Her brain offered as she snorted in disdain.

She didn't want to see him, although her heart screamed in contrary. He had accompanied her to the doctor's appointment and afterwards, she left the clinic with a small recipe in her hands and silence in her voice. They hadn't talk in the ride to her house and he hadn't approach her about it ever since, even though she knew that the concern boiled in his own thoughts. He was giving her time and space and for as much as she appreciated his altruistic gesture, there was no one else she wanted to talk to.

The contradiction settled in her heart and, eventually, the solitude won alongside with the fear for his reaction.

Yet, she still wanted to work with him, and even though fighting crime was not her first priority in the anthropology world, she still enjoyed that little trill that rose in her body just before they caught a violator of the law, law which her partner praised so much. They played their rolls under the stars and stripes and it fueled her mind with pride to work alongside such a righteous person, because it was not only towards her that his protective instincts worked, he also watched for the safety of the common citizen with the same vigor.

She wanted to be a part of it all, but still, the fear of his rejection engulfed her and made her limbs tremble slightly.

The respect he surely held for her would be lowered as soon as he looked at her, she was so certain of that, that a physical shiver traveled along her spine at the empirical thought of his disappointment.

She reached for the spectacles and handled them with care while walking to the nearest mirror in her living room. Separating the temples, she placed the offending object, neatly, over her nose. Their fine lines seemed soft and weightless in her face. Taking a moment to admire her reflection, she noticed how fit they looked against the angles of her facial structure, how they brought the attention to her vision and more important, how much it corrected her sight, so much that she was now staring blankly at a clear image of herself.  
She gasped at the reflection and suddenly realized how ill minded and stubborn she had been in not acknowledging the damages that occurred over the years of forced squinting.

Despite all the fear still lingering in her, she felt herself turn her lips into a small smile towards her mirrored image. He had been right all along, and yet she had ignored him, even treat him badly and keep him at arm's length.

A knock in the door dispersed her absent minded thoughts.

She reached for the door handle, without even bothering to look who it was, and before she knew it, the door was open ajar revealing her partner standing in the other side, looking straight at her with his mouth slightly open.

She took the sight of his perplexed expression as disapproval, mingled with utter shock at her change in visual, and couldn't restrain the annoyance from rising once more in her veins. A simple roll of eyes from her partially brought him back from whatever reverie he was immersed in. She stepped aside, reluctantly, to let him in and slowly moved her body to stand in the middle of the living room, staring back at him expectantly.

His eyes were still wide but the shock had been replaced by bewilderment. He moved to stand right in front of her, and she couldn't deny the immense pleasure she felt when his body heat contacted with her skin.

Repressing an imminent shiver, she forced herself to find the right words to address him.

"What are you doing here, Booth?" Were the only ones she could muster under the crescent tremble in her body.

"I- I just came to see how you were." Apparently he still held power over his brain synapses despite the early surprise. "You haven't said anything in a while."

"I'm fine, despite the obvious change in my appearance. But you, for that matter, you seem shocked." She said.

"Just a little, I wasn't expecting Dr. Brennan to turn into a geek chick!"

"I don't know what that means." But something inside alerted her for the Seeley Booth patented joke.

"I presumed as much. The glasses may have changed your looks, but certainly didn't do anything to improve your social skills." His lips twisted into a side grin as he leaned closer to her like a magnet, unable to stay apart from its opposite.

She, in another perspective, didn't hold the same air of amusement in her face as the man right in front of her. Her eyes narrowed straight at him and her hands settled stubbornly at her hips.

"Are you calling me inadequate?" She fumed and paused. For a while there was only silence filling the gap between them. An eventual sigh crossed her lips and her mind settled itself on a rational track once more, traveling in the rails of the previous thoughts of rejection.

"I'll understand if you don't want to work with me anymore, in this condition." The sentence came out so faintly that she feared he wouldn't be able to hear.

"What are you talking about?" But he heard and the stunned expression overtook his features once more.

"As a scientist I realize that wearing glasses doesn't minor my qualities of empirical analysis, and I already took care of my eye sight, as you can see, but for one reason or another, you might feel that my capacities are narrowed because of my state right now, and I truly understand if you feel compelled to require another specialist to work with you, for I know that the FBI requires its resources to be in their highest productive manner, like you said previously." Once she was finished, her arms crossed together in her chest, unconsciously bracing herself for whatever answer that might come from his side.

His hands closed themselves over her shoulders to convey his next words and his voice came tenderly towards her, soothing her illogical doubts.

"Bones, I would never trade you for another partner, ever. With glasses or not, you're still the one I want by my side in the field. It won't diminish my trust in you to examine the victims or to watch my back. As you said, you already took care of it, and it's all that matters to me, that you're fine now."

Under his grasp she felt her body release some of the tension of the previous hours.

"Thank you, Booth." She finally breathed out the air in her lungs and the fear in her mind. "I was hoping you would say that." A bright smile across her lips prompted his own.

For a moment, he just stared at her blankly, his brown eyes never leaving the section of her face where the glasses stood, and it was only then, that she noticed the wild blush across his cheeks, his dilated pupils and raging breath. She caught her breath then, it was as labored as his.

Another shiver erupted in her flesh as time passed between them and a curtain of silence fell down.

"I'm waiting, though." His voice, filled with sense, broke the silence first.

Her mind seemed caught in his question with no links to tie it to their previous conversation. "For what?"

"For you to admit it, Bones. It's all that I want to hear." There it was; his smug smile again.

She felt lost at his words but suddenly, a linear curve of understanding came to its start, to the very day of their discussion. In the midst of her newfound clarity, she rolled her eyes at his arrogance. Seeley Booth would never leave a fight without the pronunciation of his accuracy.

"All right…" She sighed, smiling just a little. In the back of her mind, she noticed how gradually easy it was becoming to apologize to him or admit he is right. "If it weren't for you, I would still be bumping against doors and suffering from horrible headaches."

With a bright smile that twinkled in his eyes, he squeezed his hands a little more around her shoulders and brought her body through the small gap between them for an embrace. She rested her face against his chest and let her hands have the privilege of laying themselves over his body. One beside her face, over his chest, the other in his back.

"Thank you, Booth. Honestly." She whispered quietly against his chest as his hands caressed her head and back softly.

How easy it was to thank him, now. The words crossed her mouth freely without a previous consideration in an unconscious compensation for the many situations where she wasn't able to do so, thanking him for everything he ever did for her.

But there was still something unsettled in her mind, one last question to bury her doubts.

"Do I look that ugly?" She asked bluntly to his chest.

His comforting movements stopped abruptly and almost immediately, she felt his hands push her weight slightly away from him to be regarded with his questioning look. He looked at her with incredibility in his eyes.

"Ugly? Not at all. You look beautiful…" Blue eyes stared fixedly at brown ones and watched a new wave of crimson blush wash his face. "… and very intellectual." He finally added, coughing his blunt indiscretion, but not less truthful thought.

"Booth, I never needed glasses to make me look intellectual, I have a brain for that matter. But thanks, I guess." She laughed openly now, all the worries swept away by his confession.

Her head found rest in his chest again, it was slowly developing into a vice, but oh so desirable.

He felt warm and inviting against her, his chest rose and fell, his breath caressed her forehead, arousing the same feelings inside that she always felt when the barrier of partner behavior was crossed. And it felt so good to dance in the limbo of something else.

She didn't knew if it were for the glasses, but she was seeing everything clearer right now.

Carefully, she raised her head and brought her face close to his. Behind the fine lenses, she saw his eyes widen for a moment and close afterwards, as her lips slowly descended over his. Her eyelids fluttered shut and she saw no more.

All the other senses were heightened. She felt his lips, soft, over hers, just like she remembered; his arms encircling her body in a secure embrace, bringing her impossibly closer to his warmth. His scent inebriated her senses as she drunk in his taste.

Her mouth moved forcefully over his, begging for his deep caresses. He obliged with the same drive as her assaults. Their lips moved in a slow, timeless dance over one another, relinquishing all will to the pleasure overtaking them. The need, then, grew stronger and spiraled into unexplored highs until their bodies succumbed to their limits and eventually broke apart. They rested their foreheads over one another, raging puffs of hair mingled in the space between their faces.

Even with her eyes closed she could sense the bright smile that played in his lips, it surely matched her own.

"It's a shame though." He said with difficulty over deep breaths.

"What?" She heard herself asking over the rapid thump of her heart, it hammered violently inside her, pressed against his chest. Her eyelids lifted up to reveal a very pleased partner smiling brightly down at her.

"That your blue eyes will be hidden behind the lenses."

To what extend she liked the man in front of her, she had yet to know, but when he said those things, even if they sounded banal and cliché, she had to admit they made her feel special. Only he made her feel like this, wanted and attractive in the simplicity of her aesthetics.

"I can make it so you would be the only one seeing them." Of course, his desires didn't pass unnoticed by her. She laughed quietly, licked her lips sensuously and watched he bit his lower lip.

A furious blush tainted her cheeks, despite the effort to stay calm under his reaction. He held a power over her, as much as she did over him.

"Bones." He muttered under his breath, a warning in the form of her nickname.

She disentangled herself from his arms and stepped away from him. For a moment, she watched his eyes widened in fear. Was he thinking she was already regretting her actions? Silly boy. How could she?

Walking in the corridor towards her bedroom, a mischievous grin in her lips, she looked one more time in his direction and threw over her shoulder:

"Mr. Booth…" She called out; already freeing her soft auburn curls from the messy ponytail she had done earlier. In amazement, she watched him fallow her lead.

_The End_


End file.
